


sunday morning comin' down

by sylwrites



Series: break free and run [5]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fluff, I can't stop myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 04:39:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10801893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylwrites/pseuds/sylwrites
Summary: A missing scene from my college AU series.Betty and Jughead go on their first date, with an assist from Veronica.





	sunday morning comin' down

**Author's Note:**

> I know I said it was over, but 1x12 previews are stressing me out and I needed some pure fluff to tide me over.

_ Stay with me under these waves, tonight _

_ Be free for once in your life, tonight…  _

  
  


Betty is up to her elbows in flour when he messages. 

 

Her cell phone buzzes on the kitchen table where she had set it down before embarking on this particular Saturday’s stress baking project: homemade bagels. She's had a long week of writing term papers, involving a lot of sitting in the library with her laptop and textbooks. Betty had woken up early and gone for a run to get some of her pent up energy out, but it hadn't quite done the trick. So she'd hauled all the ingredients together for cheese bagels and had begun, knowing the kneading required would help her de-stress even more.

 

Veronica shuffles into the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas. It's 10:00, but Betty has always been an early bird and it's become obvious over the course of the semester that her roommate was not. 

 

“What are you making, B?” she asks, reaching for a mug to pour coffee into. 

 

“Bagels.” Betty smiles at her. “Did you get a good sleep?”

 

“Perfectly wonderful,” Veronica chirps. “Staying in has its advantages - going to bed early was a good decision. Especially after last weekend.”

 

Betty makes a face. The previous weekend Veronica had dragged Betty and two friends to a fraternity party, where Betty had been separated accidentally and had ended up rushing out into the cold night alone after an altercation with a too-handsy jerk. Veronica and her friends had had a decent time, but everybody was pretty tired and hungover the next morning (which had led to Veronica's decision not to go out the following Friday). Veronica and her friends had had a decent time, so Betty was happy for them and for the experience. 

 

Of course, her night had drastically improved the moment she'd left. Even though she'd had a bad time at the actual party, the events of the evening had led her to Jughead, to cuddling with Jughead, to sleeping over at his apartment and ultimately to them making out in the morning. All things considered, the weekend was a net positive.

 

Unfortunately Betty hadn't been able to see much of Jughead the week following. She had papers, he had papers and work, so all they'd had were a couple of brief coffee and study dates.

 

Veronica notices Betty's expression and rolls her eyes. “Oh come on B, you came out on top last weekend anyway.” She raises a manicured fingernail to her chin, the corner of her lips quirking playfully. “Or was he on top?”

 

Betty’s jaw drops. “Veronica!” she exclaims, blushing madly and turning back to the dough. She kneads it harder. “I told you, we didn't - we just slept, and kissed. He was a perfect gentleman.”

 

Veronica sits on the countertop and locks her ankles, swinging her heels and looking pleased with herself. “I bet our resident beanie baby has some hidden  _ talents.  _ It's always the quiet ones. I mean, he's got those long fingers.”

 

Betty’s phone buzzes again, interrupting her train of thought. Veronica had gotten her all distracted, and now thoughts of Jughead and what he might be able to do with his hands - his  _ long fingers,  _ as Veronica had pointed out - were swirling in her head. “V, can you check to see who it is?” Betty asks. “Might be my mom.” Alice Cooper was not the sort of woman who tolerated long periods of time before a response was expected. 

 

Veronica hops down. “Sure.” She grabs Betty's phone from the table and swipes the unlock pattern that Betty directs. “Ooh, they're from loverboy,” she teases. “Want me to read them?”

 

Betty hesitates for a moment, then nods. If something was potentially wrong, she wanted to know. “Please.” 

 

Veronica clears her throat. “The first one just says,  **Betts, are you free tonight?** And then the second - ohmigod!” she squeals. 

 

“What?!” Betty asks, stopping her hands from kneading and staring at her friend. “Tell me!”

 

Veronica beams at her. “He wants to take you on a date. It literally says,  **Was thinking we could do a nice dinner** . Followed by a smiley face.” She sets the phone down. “Betty. This boy is adorable. The text looks so hopeful.”

 

Betty can't stop herself from smiling, and when she catches herself she fights off the urge to press her lips together. Jughead had always treated her wonderfully; even when she'd been dating Archie, he was supportive and kind to her. She's always thought that if he found the right person, he'd be an amazing boyfriend. Betty can't believe her luck that she gets to be that girl. 

 

(Maybe. They hadn’t actually had a conversation with those words, but it feels  _ different.) _

 

“V, can you respond for me? Text back,  **That sounds really nice! Let me know what time** .” 

 

Veronica’s fingers fly across the phone screen. She grins at Betty. “I threw in a heart emoji for good measure.” Setting the cell phone down, Veronica dusts her palms together, and strides over to Betty with a sudden energy that catches her off guard. “You’re gonna have to put the bagels on hold. We need to go shopping. This is your first official date, right?”

 

Betty nods somewhat weakly, already slightly overwhelmed by Veronica.

 

“Okay. In that case, you definitely need a new dress. We’re going to knock him off his feet.”

 

“Can’t I just wear something I already own?” Betty asks, watching with bewilderment as Veronica takes the kneaded dough away from Betty’s hands, places it in a covered bowl and sets it in the fridge. 

 

“Of course not,” Veronica says. “Now, go get dressed. We’re going to the mall.”

 

\---

 

Betty smooths her hands over the skirt of her dress and regards the image in the mirror with some apprehension. “I don't know, V,” she hedges. 

 

Veronica plops down on Betty's bed and crosses her legs. “What are you worried about?”

 

To be honest, Betty wasn't even sure. The outfit was perfect; it was a sleeveless cotton dress that fell to mid-thigh with a scoop neck and cut-outs across the back. The colour was a beautiful blue-green that matched her eyes. She had a pair of sand-coloured ankle boots and a matching cardigan that featured well with the colour of the dress. Veronica had done Betty's hair; it was down for once, out of her regular ponytail, releasing her natural blonde waves to her shoulders. She looked great. It was just…

 

“Am I trying too hard?” Betty asks, looking over at Veronica. “Or not hard enough?”

 

“You look gorgeous, Betty,” Veronica assures her. “Jughead isn't gonna know what hit him.”

 

Betty turns around and then looks at the rear view. “The dress isn't too short?” 

 

“Not with legs like yours.” Veronica slips off the bed and comes to stand beside Betty, looking at their reflections in the mirror. “B, Jughead is very clearly madly in love with you. Obviously, I am a strong supporter of a new dress for a first date, but truthfully you could be wearing a garbage bag and he'll be enamoured. And I think you know that. So what is this really about?”

 

Betty sighs and turns away from the mirror, sinking down on the edge of her bed. Veronica was getting too intuitive,  _ knowing  _ her in a way few people truly did. Perhaps it was a good thing; she couldn't lean on Jughead for everything.

 

(Betty didn't miss the irony that the person who could best calm her down and snap her out of this anxious moment was the person who was also causing it.) 

 

“It's going to sound stupid,” Betty warns, but Veronica just sits wordlessly beside her and pats her wrist. So she takes a deep breath. “I guess I'm just anxious. Juggie is like family. Not in a weird way, just - that's how close he is. He knows me, really knows me, all my dark skeletons. Everything that drives people away. And he still wants--” She stops briefly, her throat constricting. One painful swallow passes, and Betty takes a shaky breath in. “I don't understand. He could do so much better than me, V. Someone who doesn't have a chemically regulated mental state. Someone smarter. Prettier.”

 

Veronica takes Betty's hand. “There are a number of obvious things wrong with that statement that I don’t think you need me to point out. You know what they are. And you know Jughead would disagree with you.” She sighs and turns to face Betty more clearly. “Look, B. Believe it or not, I know what it’s like to have insecurities. You know what I don’t have experience with, though? Having someone in my life that is as dedicated to me as Jughead is to you. So just - have fun. Put yourself out there. Have faith that he knows what’s best for himself. And that’s you, whether you can believe it right now or not.”

 

Betty takes her free hand and swipes quickly at the few tears that are welling in her eyes. “You’re right, I know. I also haven’t really been on a date for a long, long time.”

 

“Don’t be nervous. It’s with Jughead. You said it yourself - he knows everything about you. You guys hang out all the time.”

 

She nods and stands up, going to the mirror to check her makeup. Betty’s mascara is smudged a bit on the bottom from the couple of stray tears that escaped. The buzzer to the apartment sounds as she’s reaching for her makeup remover, and Betty turns to Veronica quickly. “I just need to fix - can you keep him busy for a moment?”

 

Veronica grins cheerfully. “Absolutely. It’ll give me a nice opportunity to give him The Talk. You know, have her home by ten, if you make her cry I’ll make you cry, use condoms.”

 

Betty rolls her eyes. “Don’t scare him off, please,” she calls to her roommate, who has already slipped through the bedroom door. 

 

She removes the mascara and eyeliner from her bottom lashes quickly. As she leans in to reapply, Betty hears the apartment door open, followed by a squeal from her roommate. Their voices are muffled - this might be a good thing, Betty thinks - but she can still hear the teasing lilt in her roommate’s tone. Betty finishes her makeup quickly, figuring she should go out and rescue Jughead from Veronica.

 

Betty double-checks her reflection one final time. It would have to do. She knew logically that she didn’t need to impress Jughead; he’d seen her in all different states, including gross and sweaty after track meets and all done up at homecoming. Still, especially after shopping with Veronica, Betty found herself wanting to make an extra effort. She wanted Jughead to know that she was serious about whatever  _ this  _ was between them, and showing up with a little bit more  _ something  _ than usual in her appearance was just part of that.

 

She grabs her purse and leave her bedroom, immediately spotting Jughead and Veronica. Jughead is leaning against the closed door, talking to an excitable Veronica, and -  _ damn.  _ He cleans up well. Betty has seen Jughead in suits before, and he’s always cut a nice figure, but it’s a rare sight and so it’s still a bit of a surprise each time. Today Jughead is wearing dark-coloured slacks and a white long-sleeved button-up shirt under his coat that makes his naturally olive-toned skin look even darker. His brown dress shoes look new, but it’s something else that really catches Betty’s eye.

 

“You’re not wearing your beanie,” she blurts out. And he isn’t - his dark, nearly black hair is free of the grey hat that usually covers it. Betty is struck by the fullness of his hair, its length, and the natural waves that flow through it. 

 

Jughead touches his hair somewhat self-consciously. “It didn’t really work with the look I was going for,” he comments, his eyes falling slowly across Betty. “You look incredible, Betty.”

 

Betty blushes and makes brief eye contact with Veronica, who is basically swooning. “Veronica took me shopping for a new dress,” she says nervously. “Um. I just need to grab my jacket, and we can go.” She hurries over to the coat closet, somewhat surprised at her own nerves. He’d taken off his beanie. His  _ beanie.  _ The only times that Betty had ever seen Jughead without his beanie were in private moments, carefully selected for their importance, and certainly never as an explicit choice at the outset of an evening. 

 

Now that she knew exactly how important Jughead thought this night was, Betty was even more overwhelmed with anxiety.

 

She shrugs her coat on and slips her purse over her shoulder. Jughead’s hand comes to her lower back, he opens the door, and with a quick wave at Veronica they’re through to the hallway. Betty presses the down button on the elevator, her stomach suddenly full of nerves that she can’t process.

 

Jughead doesn’t say anything at first, but once the elevator door opens and they’re inside, he grabs Betty’s trembling fingers. She hazards a glance at him and notices him looking at her. So she does what comes naturally: she apologizes. “I’m sorry. I’m a little nervous.”

 

Jughead’s head tilts curiously at her, and Betty exhales slowly. It’s stupid, really. She is not a princess, and Jughead is not Prince Charming. This is not a fairy tale. There is no such thing as the  _ magic touch.  _ But if there were … Jughead had it. 

 

“Don’t be nervous,” he says, leading her out of the elevator, across the foyer, and out to the parking lot of Betty’s building, where FP’s truck is parked in visitor parking.

 

Betty gives a slight laugh. “I know, Veronica told me not to worry, it’s just--”

 

“No, I mean - don’t be nervous, because I am terrified enough for the both of us,” Jughead interrupts, smiling at Betty. He opens the truck door and helps her up.

 

“Wait, why are  _ you  _ nervous?” Betty asks, turning slightly to the side to face him as he stands against the open door.

 

Jughead tilts his head and looks at her with what can only be described as incredulity. “Do you really not - never mind. Let’s just say, I’ve liked you for a while now. And maybe I’ve thought about our first date once, or twice, or five hundred times.” 

 

Betty presses her lips together, fighting a smile. He closes the door and walks around to the driver’s side, and when he hops in the truck she asks, “How long?”

 

Jughead starts the truck. “What?”

 

“How long have you liked me?” Betty repeats, poking his leg.

 

“I refuse to answer that in the interests of protecting my image as a stoic, cool rebel.”

 

Betty looks at him in profile as he drives down the streets, blanketed with the first wisps of a November snowfall. Not for the first time, she marvels at his face. High cheekbones, soft blue eyes, full lips. Now that she knows what they feel like against hers, Betty is even more fascinated. Without his ever-present hat his hair keeps falling into his eyes, forcing Jughead to run his fingers through his hair to pull it off his face. 

 

(She’s trying really hard not to think about what Veronica had said about his fingers.)

 

“Sorry, when did you start being cool?” she teases.

 

Jughead’s jaw drops, then spreads into a grin. He pulls into the parking lot of an upscale Italian restaurant. “You’re lucky I like you, Cooper,” he remarks, unbuckling his seatbelt.

 

Betty follows suit and hops out of the truck. “Juggie, this place is really nice,” she comments, glancing through the windows. 

 

“Yeah, it had good reviews on Yelp, and TripAdvisor, and UrbanSpoon, and Google. So - hopefully the internet didn’t lie to me.” Jughead offers his arm to Betty. “Shall we?”

 

She grins and takes it, then uses it to pull him down closer to her so she can kiss him lightly. He responds, and when they pull back after a brief connection he gives her a curious look. Betty just shrugs and decides to throw caution to the wind. “You look really hot,” she informs him. “Just needed to tide myself over until afterward.”

 

Jughead’s face flushes but he smiles broadly at her and guides her through the door of the restaurant. “Til afterward,” he repeats, squeezing her hand.

 

\---

 

Veronica reaches into the dryer and pulls out her load of laundry, carefully hauling it item by item into the nearby laundry hamper. Despite all the things she loved about college (independence, fun parties, interesting classes, awesome roommate), the laundry situation had to be top of the list of things she  _ hated.  _

 

Of course, as a (recovering) spoiled little rich girl, she'd never had to do her own laundry in her life. That's what maids were for. She'd never had to cook - that's what chefs were for. But then everything had changed. Her father had gone to jail, her mother had downsized her apartment, and Veronica had moved to Boston to live in student housing. With  _ shared,  _ coin operated laundry. 

 

It likely felt particularly shitty tonight, because it was Saturday, a night that a newly footloose-and-fancy-free socialite like herself should be tearing it up around town. Yet here she was, trying to take it easy this weekend. Which had somehow translated to doing laundry on a Saturday night.

 

Veronica collects the rest of her clothes and hauls the basket onto her hip, a movement that always gave her weird flashes of a future as a ‘50s housewife with three kids. She pushes the laundry room door open and turns down the hall to her and Betty’s apartment, but the image she's greeted with stops her in her tracks momentarily. 

 

It's Betty, her so-good-it-hurts roommate, a blonde girl from upstate New York who is possibly the definition of the all-American girl. Betty is the nicest girl Veronica has ever met in her entire life, bar none. She's kind, friendly, and generous with everyone she meets, the sort of person that gets hit by a stray baseball behind a fence and then apologizes for being in the way. And right now, she's got her hometown best friend-turned-boyfriend pinned up against the door to their apartment, both of them basically assaulting each other with their lips and hands. One of Betty's hands is on Jughead's face, the other resting on his abdomen beneath his now-untucked dress shirt; one of Jughead's hands is on Betty’s ass, the other sort of loosely draped on her shoulder. 

 

Veronica raises an eyebrow. She's not sure exactly what the history with Betty and Jughead was, but she had had Jughead pegged the second she met him. The boy was clearly head over heels in love with Betty. Something had happened over the last couple of months, driving Betty even closer to her old friend, and now the two were even more inseparable than before. Veronica had been waiting for them to hook up for essentially the entire semester. The tension between them was ridiculous, palpable even to an outsider like herself. She was one week away from locking them in a closet naked and letting them figure it out for themselves, but this was definitely easier. 

 

She clears her throat as she approaches, a grin on her face. “Excuse me, rabbits, but you're blocking the entrance to the apartment,” Veronica comments casually, her grin widening when Betty and Jughead break their kiss. 

 

Jughead has an expression of mild panic on his face, the telltale sign of someone who was not used to this sort of a situation. Betty wouldn't be either, Veronica knew, but instead of leaping back she just ducks her head shyly into Jughead's chest. “Hey V. Sorry, we were just-- uh --”

 

“Ensuring the structural integrity of the door, I'm sure.” Veronica winks at the couple and pushes it open. “Okay, I'm going into my room, putting my headphones on, and turning a loud movie on Netflix.” She turns back to Betty and Jughead briefly. His arm is around her, nose in her hair. Betty looks… _ happy.  _ Veronica smiles at them. “Don't forget to hydrate and use a condom, and--”

 

_ “Veronica.”  _ Betty's cheeks flush pink. 

 

“--and I just wanna say, I'm super happy for you two,” she finishes, nodding slightly at Betty's grateful smile. She gives them a little wave and disappears into her bedroom, smiling when she hears muffled giggles briefly through the door, followed by the sound of Betty's bedroom door closing as well.

 

Maybe true love did exist, after all…

 

**end.**

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this little miniseries. I hope to write more for this couple, my muse permitting.


End file.
